After the NBA All-Star Break, the final stretch of NBA basketball is ahead of us. Which teams are positioned to make one last push for a playoff spot?
With the NBA All-Star Break finally coming to a close, there is no time for NBA teams to take any more breaks. From here on out, it is crucial to win games and get the team into full playoff form.
Most teams around the league are hovering around 55 games played to this point. In an 82-game NBA season, this means that we are nearly 70 percent through the 2019-20 season. While the majority of the playoff spots appear to be nearly locked up, there are certainly still some teams that have put themselves in a position to make one last push for a playoff appearance this season.
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As it stands now, barring anything crazy happening, it appears both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference each have one slot up for grabs. The eighth and final spot in each conference is certainly within reach for several teams around the league.
With 15 teams currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture, nearly all 15 of those teams are out of reach and focusing on finishing the season on a high note and drafting an elite player in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft. There is also another tier of teams that are stuck in the middle. They probably don’t have a chance of making the playoffs but also won’t likely have one of the top picks in the draft.
Finally, there is the tier of NBA teams who have a serious chance of taking that eighth and final spot in their respective conference. For now, the eighth seed in the Western Conference is the Memphis Grizzlies (28-16) and the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference is the Orlando Magic (24-31).
Let’s take a look at four teams that are currently outside of the playoff picture but have positioned themselves to make a run at stealing one of the final spots.